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Saturday, December 31, 2011

Anwar morally unfit to become PM, says RPK

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 1 — Popular blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin denounced Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as morally unfit to become prime minister, saying that Malaysians are unable to accept a homosexual to lead the country.

Better known as RPK, the self-exiled editor of the Malaysia-Today news portal was quoted in an Umno-owned national daily as crediting Anwar’s huge support to widespread public perception of the opposition leader as an “alternative” to the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN).

It did not necessarily mean Anwar was a better leader or PM-designate, said the man who was once seen to sit in the PKR de facto chief’s inner circle.

“I don’t care. If you say is Anwar gay? I say maybe. But you cannot become prime minister. That is the reality,” said Raja Petra (picture) in an interview published today the Malay-language Mingguan Malaysia.

Raja Petra did not explicitly call Anwar a homosexual but said there was no room in Malaysia for someone who is gay and wants to become PM.

“In Australia, you can. You can be gay and even become a minister. In Malaysia you have to choose. I personally have no problems but if you want to become PM and be gay, in Malaysia you cannot.

“I am not defending immoral behaviour but that is your choice. If you choose that you cannot have this. In [the] UK, Australia you can have both,” he said.

Anwar, 64, is currently awaiting his verdict on his second sodomy charge, where he is accused of sodomising a former aide.

The High Court is scheduled to deliver its ruling on January 9.

The former deputy prime minister has vehemently denied the charge, saying that it was part of a ploy to destroy his political career.

In his harshest remarks against Anwar and Pakatan Rakyat yet, Raja Petra said the opposition pact needed to cut down on its campaign for Anwar, and that the fight for reform was beyond the political future of one man.

Saying that PR had “bigger fish to fry”, he stressed that the “future of this country does not depend on this one man.”

“I do not know if Anwar is guilty or not. For me the issue is not important. The question is, is he the best candidate to run the country? If you are a good person, you are surely ‘clean’. But if you can’t run the country, you can’t, it’s that simple.”

Raja Petra charged that Anwar’s performance as Selangor Economic Advisor has been unimpressive, and that he spent too much time going overseas for functions and lectures at universities.

The controversial blogger claimed he received complaints of rampant corruption in Selangor, saying that nothing had changed since PR took over from BN there.

“We tell him [Anwar] stay in the country and do your job in Pakatan. More than 60 trips abroad is too much...it is as if he is running away not knowing what to do,” Minguan Malaysia reported Raja Petra as saying.

Raja Petra stressed that politics in Malaysia needed to move beyond national leaders like Anwar or even PM Datuk Seri Najib Razak and more on structure and ideas.

“I think we do not need to talk about Anwar anymore. It is not about Anwar. When we talk politics, we talk about Najib-Anwar, Najib-Anwar.

“What if Najib gets a heart attack like his father? What if something happens to Anwar? He is not young, he is older than me...we will get new leaders…we must move on,” the blogger said.